The Ziz palmery

Trailing the final section of the Oued Ziz, the road south of Er Rachidia (the N13) is one of the most pleasing of all the southern routes – a dry red belt of desert just beyond Meski, it suddenly drops into the valley and the great Ziz palmery, a prelude of the Tafilalt, leading into Erfoud. Away from the road, ksour are almost continuous, glimpsed through the trees and high walls enclosing gardens and plots of cultivated land.

If you want to stop and take a closer look, the ksar at Aoufouss, 40km from Er Rachidia and the site of a Thursday souk, is perhaps the most accessible, though Maadid, off to the left of the road as you approach Erfoud, is also interesting – a really massive ksar, which is considered to be the start of the Tafilalt proper.